Fazul said that the "first target" in London would be "Jewish
communities with tens of thousands of Jews crammed in a small area" in
the Golders Green and Stamford Hill neighborhoods of the city.

"Our plan is to hit the elite of the Jewish community by targeting
the most expensive restaurants on the Jewish festival of HANNUKAH and
then moving around the Golders Green shooting random Jews while throwing
petrol bombs into crowded places and groups,"

The "second target" was the Eton School, "where the most powerful
elite from royalty to business tycoons send their sons to study."

Shabaab plot to attack London planned to be 'similar to ... Mumbai'
By Bill Roggio, Long War Journal, September 27, 2013

A document found after Somali troops killed Fazul Abdullah Mohammed,
al Qaeda's former leader in East Africa and a senior Shabaab commander,
details a plot to conduct multiple Mumbai-like attacks that target
civilians in London. The plot highlights how al Qaeda and Shabaab seek
to strike civilian targets outside Somalia, and foreshadowed Shabaab's
attack on the Eastgate Mall in Kenya this week.

Fazul's document detailing a plot in London is titled "International
Operations." In the opening paragraph, he notes how Shabaab's external
terror teams are to emulate "the tactics used by our brothers in
Mumbai." In the Mumbai attack, small teams of Lashkar-e-Taiba fighters
armed with assault rifles, grenades, and bombs fanned out across the
city and attacked civilians. More than 170 people were killed during the
Mumbai siege, which lasted for three days. Shabaab targeted train
stations, a theater, two posh hotels, and a Jewish center during the
attack.

"Our objectives are to strike London with low cost operations that
would cause a heavy blow amongst the hierarchy and Jewish communities
using attacks similar to the tactics used by our brothers in Mumbai,"
the first paragraph of Fazul's memo said. "These will either be many
individual random untraceable operations or the group will be trained to
cause maximum damage to a single target."

Fazul said that the "first target" in London would be "Jewish
communities with tens of thousands of Jews crammed in a small area" in
the Golders Green and Stamford Hill neighborhoods of the city.

"Our plan is to hit the elite of the Jewish community by targeting
the most expensive restaurants on the Jewish festival of HANNUKAH and
then moving around the Golders Green shooting random Jews while throwing
petrol bombs into crowded places and groups," the document said.

"This
will be in retaliation for the crimes committed in Gaza a gift to the
Palestinian people and a show of solidarity to our brothers and sisters
in Palestine."

The "second target" was the Eton School, "where the most powerful
elite from royalty to business tycoons send their sons to study." The
attack was to be carried out on "induction day or an open day ... as we
can kill the parents and their children aged 16+."

"This will strike a heavy blow at the 'who's who'' of the political and business world," the document said.

Shabaab's "third target" was "the Ritz Hotel or Dorchester," two upscale hotels in London.

" We plan to hit this Hotel on New Year's, Valentine's Day or even
Hanukkah," it said. "The plan is to hit the hotel when it's fully booked
to ensure maximum casualties."

Shabaab planned to kill "top diplomats, ambassadors, celebrities,
millionaires and many key players from all around the world" who are
known to frequent the hotels.

In one plan, the Shabaab fighters were to book a room, set one of the
bottom three floors aflame with "petrol bombs," and then block the
exits and elevators. Then, "the martyrdom seeker would then make his way
to the exits and start killing any one fleeing the area."

Another option was for Shabaab fighters to sweep the hotel with
gunmen, who would also throw petrol bombs as the advance. A third option
was to set off a fire alarm and then attack the guests as they gathered
outside.

"These methods are all designed to cause maximum damage," the document noted.

Additionally, Fazul suggested that Shabaab assault teams storm the
Burundi, Ethiopian, and Ugandan embassies. The three countries are part
of the African Union Mission in Somalia and have fought to eject the
group from major cities and towns throughout the country.

Training and equipment

Fazul detailed the training, equipment, and logistical support in
both Somalia and England needed to carry out the London attacks.

"Each martyrdom seeker will be trained in Somalia preferably for 2
months and he will only know his mission. The men we plan to send back
will not know any other mujahideen involved only his own mission or they
would be trained as a group depending on the type of operation they
will carry," the document stated.

Additionally, the "brothers will be pushed through many battles to
see how they react under pressure and they will be analyzed to see if
they can keep their composure."

Fazul notes that the group is in "a race against time as the brothers
[who would conduct the attacks in London] must be sent back before
their visas expire." This is an indication that Shabaab would use Brits
to conduct the attacks in London. Shabaab would have an ample pool of
Brits to recruit from. In August 2013, the head of MI5 estimated that
"as many as 100 Britons of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and West African
backgrounds are said to have travelled to Somalia," to train and fight
with Shabaab, The Telegraph reported.

Once in Somalia, the recruits are to be kept in a "safe house" and
"will have absolute minimal contact with brothers in Somalia." Training
includes reading the Koran, weapons instruction, hand-to-hand combat,
counter-surveillance, reconnaissance, and signals security. Fazul even
names "Khattab Masri" (likely an Egyptian) as a candidate to train
recruits on hand-to-hand combat.

Kampala and Nairobi attacks similar to London plan

The London plot was never executed by Shabaab, and was very likely
disrupted by the deaths of Fazul and his deputy, a Brit known as Bilal
al Berjawi who was killed in a US drone strike in January 2012.
Additionally, African Union forces launched a major offensive against
Shabaab in the summer of 2011, which likely diverted resources to
conduct external operations.

But Shabaab has carried out two major attacks in East Africa that are
similar to what Fazul had laid out in his "International Operations"
planning document.

In July 2010, a pair of suicide bombers attacked two cafes in
Kampala, Uganda as soccer fans were watching the World Cup. At least 74
civilians were killed and more than 60 were wounded in the deadly
blasts.

And last Saturday, Shabaab assault teams struck the Westgate Mall in
Nairobi. Wealthy Kenyans and foreigners, including businessmen and
diplomats, are known to frequent the mall.

Fazul said that the "first target" in London would be "Jewish
communities with tens of thousands of Jews crammed in a small area" in
the Golders Green and Stamford Hill neighborhoods of the city.

"Our plan is to hit the elite of the Jewish community by targeting
the most expensive restaurants on the Jewish festival of HANNUKAH and
then moving around the Golders Green shooting random Jews while throwing
petrol bombs into crowded places and groups,"

The "second target" was the Eton School, "where the most powerful
elite from royalty to business tycoons send their sons to study."

Shabaab plot to attack London planned to be 'similar to ... Mumbai'
By Bill Roggio, Long War Journal, September 27, 2013

A document found after Somali troops killed Fazul Abdullah Mohammed,
al Qaeda's former leader in East Africa and a senior Shabaab commander,
details a plot to conduct multiple Mumbai-like attacks that target
civilians in London. The plot highlights how al Qaeda and Shabaab seek
to strike civilian targets outside Somalia, and foreshadowed Shabaab's
attack on the Eastgate Mall in Kenya this week.

Fazul's document detailing a plot in London is titled "International
Operations." In the opening paragraph, he notes how Shabaab's external
terror teams are to emulate "the tactics used by our brothers in
Mumbai." In the Mumbai attack, small teams of Lashkar-e-Taiba fighters
armed with assault rifles, grenades, and bombs fanned out across the
city and attacked civilians. More than 170 people were killed during the
Mumbai siege, which lasted for three days. Shabaab targeted train
stations, a theater, two posh hotels, and a Jewish center during the
attack.

"Our objectives are to strike London with low cost operations that
would cause a heavy blow amongst the hierarchy and Jewish communities
using attacks similar to the tactics used by our brothers in Mumbai,"
the first paragraph of Fazul's memo said. "These will either be many
individual random untraceable operations or the group will be trained to
cause maximum damage to a single target."

Fazul said that the "first target" in London would be "Jewish
communities with tens of thousands of Jews crammed in a small area" in
the Golders Green and Stamford Hill neighborhoods of the city.

"Our plan is to hit the elite of the Jewish community by targeting
the most expensive restaurants on the Jewish festival of HANNUKAH and
then moving around the Golders Green shooting random Jews while throwing
petrol bombs into crowded places and groups," the document said.